The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is proud to welcome members of the uniformed services to the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP). Sponsored by OPM, FEDVIP is a voluntary, enrollee-pay-all dental and vision insurance program. It replaced the former TRICARE Retiree Dental Program (TRDP). In general, retired uniformed service members, their families, and survivors are eligible for FEDVIP dental coverage and, if enrolled in a TRICARE health plan, FEDVIP vision coverage. With 12 dental and 5 vision carriers to choose from, FEDVIP offers great flexibility when selecting the right coverage for you and your family.

BENEFEDS is the government-authorized and OPM sponsored enrollment portal that eligible participants use to enroll in FEDVIP. BENEFEDS includes a secure website and a call center. BENEFEDS administers the enrollment, plan change, and premium payment processes for FEDVIP. For claims information contact your dental or vision plan carrier.

BENEFEDS is administered by Long Term Care Partners, LLC, with oversight by OPM.

A member or former member of the uniformed services entitled to retired, retainer, or equivalent pay and other benefits based on duty in the uniformed services or retired due to medical disability as determined by the U.S. Department of Defense: This includes Retired Reserve members who are age 60 and older and under age 60 (gray area reservists) not yet receiving retired pay.

Retiring uniformed service members are considered newly eligible for FEDVIP. This includes Retired Reserve members who are age 60 and older and under age 60 (gray area reservists) not yet receiving retired pay.

If you are retiring from the uniformed services, you have a 91-day enrollment window to enroll in a FEDVIP dental and/or vision plan. You may enroll between 31 days prior to your military retirement date and 60 days following. It is important to remember, enrollment is not automatic. If you choose to enroll in FEDVIP, you must enroll prior to your military retirement date to prevent a gap in dental coverage between your Active Duty or Reserve dental plan and your FEDVIP plan. If you do not enroll within 60 days from your retirement date, you must wait until the next open season.

Dental: are eligible to enroll in a FEDVIP dental plan and add other eligible family members to your coverage.

Vision: are eligible to enroll in a FEDVIP vision plan, if enrolled in a TRICARE health plan, and add other eligible family members to your coverage.

The Federal Employees Dental and Vision Benefits Enhancement Act of 2004 provided the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) the opportunity to establish arrangements under which dental and vision benefits are made available to Federal Employees, retirees, and their dependents. 

This Program allows dental insurance and vision insurance to be purchased on a group basis which means competitive premiums and no pre-existing condition limitations for enrollment. Enrollment takes place during the annual Federal Benefits Open Season in November and December. Eligible participants can choose among 12 dental and 5 vision carriers.

Enrollment: You can enroll in the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) every year during open season (14 November-12 December 2022). Outside of open season if you are newly eligible or experience a qualifying life event (QLE) you may enroll. Once enrolled in a FEDVIP dental and/or vision plan, your coverage will automatically continue each year.

• Enrollments during open season coverage becomes effective on January 1

• Enrollments outside of open season coverage become effective first day of the pay period following receipt of enrollment information.

To enroll in a FEDVIP Dental or Vision plan, go to Enroll in FEDVIP on the BENEFEDS website and select "Uniformed Services."

If you are eligible and would like to enroll in both a dental and vision plan, you must enroll in each plan separately.

If you are already enrolled in one type of FEDVIP coverage (either dental or vision) and want to enroll in the other type, you must log into your My BENEFEDS account and select "Enroll" for dental or vision coverage on your dashboard.

Dual Enrollments: Dual enrollment is prohibited by FEDVIP regulations. You must certify that you and your eligible family members will not be dually enrolled before submitting your FEDVIP enrollment.

If you are unable to enroll in FEDVIP online, call 1-877-888-3337

Unmarried Former Spouse: Is eligible to enroll in a FEDVIP vision plan if:

• Not remarried

• meet the U.S. Department of Defense's 20-20-20 or 20-20-15 eligibility requirements

• enrolled in a TRICARE health plan

Former Spouses are not eligible to enroll in a FEDVIP dental plan.

Surviving Spouses: You are eligible to enroll in a FEDVIP dental plan as long as you are no longer eligible for the TRICARE Dental Program (TDP) as a transitional survivor. Surviving Spouse are only eligible for TDP and considered a transitional survivor for the first three years after the sponsor's date of death. After that, you are eligible to enroll in FEDVIP, but in most cases, you may not add surviving children or dependents to your coverage (see below).

The Surviving Spouse is eligible to enroll in a FEDVIP vison plan if enrolled in a TRICARE health plan and add other eligible Family member to the coverage.

Surviving Children and Dependents: You are eligible for TDP and considered a transitional survivor until you become ineligible, for reasons such as turning 21 (non-student), turning 23 (full-time student), or getting married. These same events will also make a child or dependent ineligible for FEDVIP.

Dental: FEDVIP dental plans provide comprehensive dental coverage, including preventive services covered at 100% when you use an in-network provider. There are no deductibles when using in-network dentists. In addition, there is no waiting period for major services such as crowns, bridges, dentures, and implants. Under most plans, there is no 12-month waiting period or age limit for orthodontic coverage.

Select a FEDVIP dental carrier below to view its plan brochures, provider networks, and contact information.

National/International

• Aetna Dental
• Blue Cross Blue Shield FEP Dental
• Delta Dental's Federal Employees Dental Program
• GEHA Connection Dental Federal
• MetLife Federal Dental Plan
• United Concordia Dental
• UnitedHealthcare Dental

Regional

• Dominion National Dental
• EmblemHealth Dental
• Health Partners Dental
• Humana Dental
• Triple-S Salud

Vision: FEDVIP vision plans provide comprehensive vision coverage, including routine eye exams and vision correction without a referral. Plans also include low vision exams; eyeglass frames and lenses, or contact lenses instead of glasses, at many eye doctor offices or optical retail stores. In addition, there are lens options such as shatter-resistant polycarbonate, scratch-resistant, anti-reflective, UV coatings, and tinted and progressive lenses, and discounts on laser eye surgery.

Select a FEDVIP vision carrier below to view its plan brochures, provider networks, and contact information.

National/International

• Aetna Vision Preferred
• Blue Cross Blue Shield FEP Vision
• The MetLife Federal Vision Plan
• United Healthcare Vision
• VSP Vision Care

FEDVIP Plan Comparison Tool: Research plans and premiums based on where you live. View up to three dental or vision plans side-by-side for easy comparison.

Paying for Coverage: We will automatically set up an allotment with your pay provider to pay for your FEDVIP premiums post-tax if you have enough available funds or allotments in your retirement pay.

In the event that you do not have enough available funds or allotments, we will default your payment method to a recurring electronic funds transfer (EFT), which we refer to as an automatic bank withdrawal (ABW), and ask you to provide your bank account information.

Dental rates are based on your zip code. For information and costs on plans offered in your region use the Compare FEDVIP Plans tool. Rates vary by region. Providers offered include:

• Dominion National Dental
• EmblemHealth Dental
• Health Partners Dental
• Humana Dental
• Triple-S Salud

Qualifying Life Events (QLEs): FEDVIP QLEs may be different from other federal benefit programs. The following QLEs allow members to enroll in, change, or cancel FEDVIP coverage outside of the annual Open Season. The actions you or your dependents may take depend on what type of QLE you have experienced:

Outside of open season it may be cancelled with a QLE. The time frame for requesting a QLE change is from 31 days before to 60 days after the event.

Coverage may be canceled each year during Open Season and must be cancelled through BENEFEDS.

If cancelling due to a QLE, you must cancel your coverage within the timeframe that is permitted, otherwise it will automatically continue, and you will have to wait until Open Season.

Call BENEFEDS Customer Service at 1-877-888-3337 to cancel your coverage outside of open season.

BENEFEDS website:
https://www.benefeds.com/ 

Federal Benefits BENEFEDS FastFacts:
https://www.opm.gov/healthcare-insurance/fastfacts/benefeds.pdf